Meet the real estate CEO who wants to reshape how Americans buy and sell homes

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Technology
Photo collage of Robert Reffkin

Brad Barket/Getty; Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI

It's almost 9 p.m. on a Wednesday in November, and Robert Reffkin is working the phones.

The mayor of a New York City suburb says building apartments on parking lots near train and bus stations is a key to reining in rent

Tech Insider : Business, Politics
People wait for a train in New Rochelle, New York.
New Rochelle, New York, a 40-minute train ride from Midtown Manhattan, has focused its housing construction in areas near transit.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

I moved to a small beach town in another country. My new home felt like paradise, but I struggled to belong.

Tech Insider : Travel, Business
Author Kiersten Brown smiling on beach
For part of my time in Panama, I struggled to make friends and find community.

Kiersten Brown

I'm 61 with 16 grandkids. Instead of downsizing, we bought a bigger vacation home to finally make family trips work.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Doug Beachy (center) and his large family of four kids and 16 grandchildren.
Doug Beachy (center) and his large family.

Courtesy of Doug Beachy

I lived in a camper van outside my grandfather's home to help him feel less lonely. The move also helped me grow.

Tech Insider : Business
Kate Benson in her camper and the exterior of the camper
The author lived in a camper van in her grandfather's yard.

Courtesy of Kate Benson

These midsize Midwestern cities were the hottest places to buy homes in 2025

Tech Insider : Business
The sun sets on the Illinois State Capitol in downtown Springfield.
Springfield, Illinois, was the ninth most popular market for home buyers this year, according to a Zillow analysis.

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune

We tried 'furniture-free living' as an experiment. Four years later, we're happier than ever without a couch.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
The writer and her wife drinking coffee on the floor of their furniture-free home.
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Angela Horn

The best small cities in the US to live in 2025

Tech Insider : Business, Economy
Satatoga Springs, New York

TW Farlow Media/Shutterstock

My husband and I moved back in with my parents to save money. It was rocky at first, and then we found a shared hobby.

Tech Insider : Business
The writer and her husband posing in front of the water.
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Naomi George

I bought a home with my best friend and we run it as an Airbnb. Co-investing in real estate has its pros and cons.

Tech Insider : Business
Wade and Selena Lounds stand in front of a rainbow.
Best friends Wade Jensen (left) and Selena Lounds (right) co-bought a home together.

Courtesy of Selena Lounds

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